Breech mechanism



NETE@ SFAFE DORSEY F. ASBURY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

BBEIECH MECHANISM.

Application filed July 13, 1920.

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, Donsnr F. AsURY, acitizen of the United States, and resident of Washington, in theDistrict of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Breech Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to breech mechanisms for guns and particularly toimprovements in structure for effecting rotation of the plug asdisclosed in U. S. Patent 1,020,849 Granted to George L. Smith andmyself larchy 19, 1912 and wherein plug rotation is effected through themedium of a crank shaft rotatable on the carrier and connected to theplug by a cross head sliding in a cross head bearing fixed to the plug.It will be understood, however, that certain features of my presentinvention are applicable to foims vof plug operating structures which donot employ a crank shaft as exemplified in my vcopending applicationfiled July 13, 1920 Serial No. 395,869.

It is thev purpose of my invention to provide the cross head with flatbearing surfaces that can be easily scraped and fitted and therebyfacilitate assembly, reduce the cost of manufacture .and enable thecross head to exert a uniform pressure throughout its extent against thecross head bearing; to provide a structure wherein the cross head onlyrotates on the crank pin whereby its leverage with respect to the crankis constant and minimum; and to provide a plug rotating structure whichincludes a pivoted actuating arm and means between the arm and plugincluding a member whose axis intersects the axis of the plug at alltimes, is disposed atan angle to the pivotal axisY of the arm andintersects the latter in or substantially in the axis of the plug.

Other purposes of my invention will become apparent fiom the detaildescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein Iillustrate and describe my invention embodied in a plug rotatingstructure of the general type disclosed in Patent 1,020,849.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a fragmental horizontal .section of a breechmechanism having my invention incorporated therein, the breech plugbeing partially unlocked;

Fig. 2, a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with plug, fully locked;

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented May 2, 1922.

seriai ivo. 395,863.

ig. 3, .a section on the line of Fig. 2; an

Fig. 4, a view similar to Fig 2 showin-g a modified form of myinvention. Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, 10 is the gun, 11 the hingedcarrier, 12 the carrier spindle, and 13 the plug rotatably supported bythe spindle. The plug 13 is of the type disclosed in Patent 1,020,849and is adapted to be rotated to and from locked position by mechanismembodying a shaft 14 rotatably mounted in the carrier with its axisintersecting the rotating axis of the plug'13. On its inner end theshaft 14 is provided with a crank arm 15 while its outer Y end carries ahandle 16 for effecting rotation thereof. The arm 15 carries a crank pin17 so disposed that a continuation of its axis will yalways intersectthe axis of the plug 13 and furthermore will always intersect thecontinuation of the axis of the pivot of the arm 15 in the axis of theplug. The crank pin 17 is rotatably engaged in a vcross head 18 whichlatter is slidably mounted in a cross head bearing 19 fixed to the plug13, said cross head bearing being provided with a cross head receivinggroove 20 extending longitudinally of the plug. I construct the crosshead 18 substantially square to provide flat bear-ing surfaces 21 whichcan be easily scraped and fitted, thus facilitating lassembly andenabling uniform pressure to be transmitted to the bearing throughoutthe extent of the cross head. Furthermore by the arrangement andconstruction previously described the cross head only rotates on thecrank pin with the resultthat its leverage with respect to the crank isalways constant and minimum. It will also be observed that thearrangement of cross head, cross head bearing, crank pin and crank armwill permit plug translation during its rotary movement'in the mannerdisclosed in my prior Paantsiiom and 1,323,947.

In Fig. et I have disclosed a structure wherein the cross head iseliminated by coacting the crank pin 17 directly with the walls of thegroove 20 in the member 19 which latter is rigid with the plug. Thisarrangement is rendered possible by so disposing tlie crank pin that acontinuation of its axis will intersect the axis of the plug aspreviously referred to. The arrangement shown in Fig. L.tis also such aswould permit plug translation during its rotary move- Y ment in themanner disclosed in my prior Patents 1,310,045 and 1,323,947.

lVhile I have shown the arm 15Y associated with a shaft 14: rotated by ahandle 16 the employment of the shaft and handle is not essential whenmy invention is viewed in its broadest aspect; the only essential beingthat the actuating arm be pivoted to the carrier with its pivotal axisintersecting the axis of the plug and that operating means be providedbetween the arm and plug which includes a member whose axis intersectsthe axis of the plug at all times, is disposed at a constant angle tothe pivotal axis of the arm and intersects the arms pivotal axis in theaxis of the plug.

I claim 1. In a breech mechanism, a rotable plug, a pivoted actuatingarm, means for pivoting the arm, and plug operating means between thearm and plug including a member whose axis intersects the axis of theplug at all times.

2. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating arm,means for pivoting the arm, and an operating connection between the armand plug, the axis of said connection intersecting the axis of the plugat all times.

3. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating arm,means for pivoting the arm, and plug operating means between the arm andplug whose axis is disposed at an angle to the pivotal axis of the armat all times.

4. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating arm,means for pivoting the arm, and an operating connection between the armand plug; the axis of said connection being disposed at an angle to thepivotal axis of the arm at all times.

5. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating arm,meansV for pivoting said arm, and plug operating means between the armand plug including a member whose axis is disposed at all times at anangle to the pivotal axis of the arm and intersects the latter in theaxis of the plug.

6. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating arm,means for pivoting said arm, and an operating connection between the armand plug, the axis of said connection being disposed at all times at anangle to the pivotal axis of the arm and intersecting the latter in theaxis of the plug. v

7. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating arm,means for pivoting said arm, and plug operating means between the armand plug whose axis is disposed in inclination to the pivotal axis offthe arm.

8. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating arm,means for pivoting said arm, and an operating connection between the armand plug, the axis of said connection being disposed in inclination tothe pivotal axis of the arm.

9. In a breech mechanism. a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating arm,means for pivoting the arm, and plug operating means between the arm andplug permitting fore and aft movement of the latter during rotah tionthereof and including a member whose axis intersects the axis of theplug at all times. Y

10. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating arm,means for pivoting the arm, and an operating connection between the armand plug permitting fore and aft movement of the latter during rotationthereof, the axis of said connection intersecting the axis of the plugat all times.

11. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a cross-head slidablymounted thereon, a pivoted arm, and a pin on said arm en gaging saidcross-head, the axis of said pin intersecting the axis of the plug atall times.

12. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a cross-head slidablymounted thereon and having iat bearing surfaces with respect thereto, acrank shaft having a crank pin which engages said cross-head, and meansfor rotating said crank shaft.

13. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a cross head slidablymounted. thereon and having fiat bearing surfaces with respect thereto,a pivoted actuating arm, and a pin on said arm engaging said cross-head,the axis of saidl pin intersecting the axis of the plug at all times.

14:. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a cross-head slidablymounted thereon, a pivoted actuating arm having its pivotal axis atright angles to the axis of the plug, and a pin on said arm engaging thecrosshead, and having only rotary movement with respect thereto.

15. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug having a slot provided withopposite fiat walls, a pivoted actuating arm having its pivotal axisdisposed at right angles to theA axis of the plug, and means in saidslotI operated by the arm and coacting with said flat walls to rotatethe plug.

16. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating `armhaving its pivotal axis intersecting the axis of the plug, and a crosshead between the arm and plug having the same angular movement as theplug and at the same time having arcuate movement about the point ofintersection of the pivotal axis of the arm with the axis of the plug.

17. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, an actuating arm, andoperating means between the plug and arm, said means including a memberhaving an axis at an angle 'to the axis of the plug and moving with theangular movement of the plug.

18. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, an actuating arm, andoperating means between the plug and arm including a member having onlyrotary movement with respect to the arm and substantially only arcu` atemovement with respect to the plug.

19. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating armhaving a pin, and means for pivoting the arm, the axis of the pin beingalways in the same radial section of the plug and the same radialsection of the arm.

20. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted arm, meansbetween the plug and arm for rotating the plug having an axis always inthe same radial section through the axis of the plug and the same radialsection through the axis of the pivot of the arm. I

2l. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, an actuating arm, and aplug operating member connecting the plug and arm having only arcuatemovement with respect to the plug.

22. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, an actuating arm, and aplug operating member connecting the plug and arm having only rotatablemovement with respect to the actuating arm.

23. In a breech mechanism, a carrier, a rotatable plug, a plug operatingmember having arcuate movement with respect to the plug, an actuatinghandle connected with the operating member and having pivotal movementwith respect to the carrier and only rotatable movement with respect tothe operatingmember.

24. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, a pivoted actuating lever,and an operating member connecting the plug and lever, said members axishaving conical movement during pivotal movement of the lever.

25. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, an operating memberconnected to the plug, the axis of said member intersecting the axis ofthe plug at a given point during all plug operating movements thereof,and means for moving the operating member.

26. In a breech mechanism, a rotatable plug, an operating member formoving the plug, the axis of said member having conical movement duringplug operating movement of the member, and means for moving the member.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aIix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

DORSEY F. ASBURY.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGERS, FLORENCE A. BLINN.

